THE GEOPOLITICS OF BIOSECURITY: BIOLOGICAL RISKS AND THE CHANGING INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Biological risks have become an important part of the changing international security environment. This paper examines how geopolitical tensions, technological change, and differences in national preparedness shape biological risks and affect the ability of existing international and national systems to manage them. The study uses qualitative document analysis of international treaties, scholarly literature, and official reports, supported by descriptive analysis of the 2021 Global Health Security (GHS) Index and the Global BioLabs Report 2023. The findings show that biological risks mainly arise through three pathways: natural disease outbreaks, laboratory accidents, and deliberate biological use. These risks are closely linked with international politics, national security, and technological change. The analysis also shows that the Biological Weapons Convention remains limited by the absence of a formal system for verifying compliance, while geopolitical rivalry and disinformation create additional challenges for international cooperation. At the same time, advances in gene editing, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence are changing the nature of biological risks, while high-security laboratory capacity is expanding, particularly in Asia. National preparedness remains highly uneven: the global average GHS Index score is 38.9 out of 100, while Pakistan scores 30.4. The paper argues that effective biosecurity requires stronger international cooperation, improved national preparedness, better laboratory security, responsible use of emerging technologies, and greater transparency. It concludes with seven practical policy measures for states and international organizations to strengthen global biosecurity.